Posted: 1/21/05

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Jan. 30

Addiction is the beginning of destruction

Proverbs 20:1; 23:20-21, 29-33; Romans 14:19-20; Ephesians 5:15-18

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

A familiar adage says, “One bad habit leads to another.” A habit is an acquired repetition of a behavior pattern that can become involuntary. Addiction is to surrender one’s self to a physical or emotional habit of obsession, in this application, to drugs (alcohol is a drug). No substance abuser ever started out to be an addict, yet everyone is susceptible. Drug addiction is a slow suicide, a slow ride to perdition. There are no old junkies.

Ordinarily, addiction is a process that begins with experimentation with alcohol or drugs, with occasional use increasing to full-blown addiction. Many cocaine addicts admit addiction came almost immediately with first use of cocaine. An alcohol user may take years to reach alcoholism. Adolescents, with less will power and coping skill, move through the cycle to addiction much faster than adults.

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There are many reasons addicts start to use drugs, such as peer approval, curiosity, experimentation, depression, lack of self-esteem, easy accessibility, a dysfunctional family, parental drug abuse, cultural influences such as television and movies, or a lack of moral values. Substance abuse often is an attempt to escape from an unpleasant, burdensome and intolerable situation. Drugs are a quick way to temporarily “get away from it all,” and to find relief from troubles and pain through self-anesthetization.

The problem is that there is no escape from reality. Many people rise above all of these situations and avoid addiction; others give in to the temptation until the obsession is uncontrollable. Addiction usually is a social experience where a person wants to be accepted and have a sense of belonging. A drug addict most likely will come from a home where there is no father figure, or a home where discipline is either too harsh or too lenient.

However, a healthy home environment does not guarantee a child will be free of addiction. The adolescent years can take their toll on a teenager’s self-esteem and emotional development. If a youth has a sense of personal inferiority, real or imagined, he or she is more easily tempted to try drugs.

Recovery from addiction requires a spiritual experience to get rid of the controlling beast inside. Scripture gives some powerful spiritual principles that insightfully assist in avoiding addiction. Four have been chosen for this lesson.

Exercise wisdom (Proverbs 20:1)

The writer of Proverbs encourages the reader to use the mind and warns against excessive use of alcohol, in this case “wine” and “beer” (“strong drink” in KJV). “Mocker” can be translated as “scorner,” which is a very emotional word of anger and disgust. The statement, “Wine is a mocker” is an angry warning of rejection and disaster and an expression of extreme contempt. “Brawler” means one who fights loudly or quarrels in loud confusion. The imagery is not becoming of the drunk who rages out of control, stumbles in his steps, mumbles with slurred speech and is dull, hostile and dim-witted. A drunk is the very opposite of wisdom. Response to the drunkard is usually pity, amusement, disdain, anger and rejection. No one is wise to place himself in such an inebriated state.

The moral philosophy, “If it feels good, do it,” is a natural expression of the carnal nature. Feelings often become the key operative of life. Feelings are the way drugs take over while diminishing the rational, thinking part of personality. Feelings become like a disease. The feeling of pleasure received from using drugs is the subtle, destructive and damning deceiver.

God gave us reason, will and emotion. Emotion, or feeling, was never intended to be an adequate guide for decision-making. Feelings are fickle and change with every circumstance like a reed in the wind. When feeling is the focus of life, the tail is wagging the dog. Acting out of emotion or feelings without the benefit of fact is the harbinger of poor choices and critical failure.

Experimentation with a drug brings some feelings of pleasure and euphoria but when repeated enough becomes insidiously destructive to the addict, his family and society. If drugs and alcohol are tried and the feeling is liked, then the stage is set for possible addiction.

Frequently, the experienced user will coach the inexperienced user on how to make drugs even more enjoyable. Each step to more frequent use, along with the use of different kinds of drugs, increases the probability of emotional or physical dependency. Dependency brings a feeling of worthlessness, self-loathing, failure, insecurity, doubt, arrogance, paranoia, belligerence, denial and suicide.

In order to overcome the powerful feelings just described, the addict uses more and more drugs. The cycle is now complete and happens over and over and over again like a whirlwind, pushing the user into a spiraling downward swirl to devastation and ruin. Nothing else matters. Sleepless nights and waking hours are used to determine how to connect with the next fix.

This merry-go-round is relentless. Belongings are hocked, theft and forgery are practiced, lying and cheating become behavioral norms. Paranoia, guilt and denial dominate the personality. The only prospect for life is more drugs. What started out as a dream for a little fun has turned into the worst possible nightmare.

Wisdom’s discipline and will power’s force are much more serving of our needs and should guide our emotions to the best things in life rather than addictions which destroy.

Watch out! (Proverbs 23:20-21, 29-33)

Be wise and watch out “for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags” (v. 21). This proverb describes the troubles and losses of the substance abuser very vividly. The writer paints such a picture to encourage the bibber to leave alcohol (and drugs) alone.

The seriousness of the addiction is substantiated by the losses incurred—loss of focus, fortune, family and friends. Once the drug takes control, it becomes the addict’s god, father, mother, sister, lover, friend and the all-consuming reason to exist. The substance abuser eventually loses everything. Poverty (v. 21), woe, sorrow, strife and physical stress (v. 29) are the eventual reward.

People who never experiment or try drugs never become addictive. One never knows who will become the addict. If you were to board an airplane and the stewardess were to say, “You are welcome to fly with us, but on the journey one of ever 12 seats will fall out on the way,” the airplane would leave empty. Yet, one of every 12 individuals who drink socially will become an alcoholic, and hundreds of thousands get on board every day.

The pleasure gained at the beginning will not be a blessing in the end. If you play with fire, you will get burned. Drugs “sparkle” and go “down smoothly,” but “in the end it bites like a snake and poisons like a viper” (v. 32). Yet, the drunkard’s strange visions, fights, physical pain and emotional loss do not keep him from seeking another drink (vv. 33-35). We should keep a close physical, emotional and spiritual lookout for the things of pleasure that ultimately turn us into addicts.

Consider others (Romans 14:19-21)

Addiction is a very selfish thing. Addicts do not think like normal people. To the addict, the need for drugs dominates any relationship. To lose a loved one to substance abuse can be worse than death because the addict lives and is a constant reminder of personal failure. Everyone around the addict feels a sense of guilt and responsibility for the addiction. The grief is intense because of the interjection of anger, abandonment, emptiness, resentment, rejection, helplessness, hostility, disappointment, doubt, depression and denial.

The impact upon family and friends is enormous. Once addicted, the substance abuser’s concern for others is limited by the obsession for drugs and a “me-first” attitude.

Paul gave us one of the great principles of decision-making here in this passage, the principle of placing others before one’s own wants or desires. Concern for others puts moral limits upon our behavior. We should “make every effort to edify others (v. 19).

Paul gets high on freedom and voluntary submission, choosing to be responsible for another’s sake (his ultimate example is Christ who “did not please himself,” Romans 15:3). All foods are clean for eating, but if to eat them causes someone else to stumble or experience pain, then the food (drugs) should not be consumed. An action may not violate your conscience, but if it violates another whom you are seeking to nurture in the Lord, then that action should not be taken. Freedom in Christ allows some things to be done, but if that freedom is objectionable to someone else then, in the same freedom, refrain from doing it.

Personal sacrifice is little to give up in order to show love in behalf of others. That is the very nature of love. Don’t forfeit your witness by grieving the other party for “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking” (v. 17). Consideration of others should provide some incentive for never getting on drugs.

Submit to the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:15-18)

Contrasting foolish drunkenness with being filled with the Holy Spirit (see similar comparison in Acts 2:1-13), Paul calls us to wisdom (v. 15) and obedience to the will of God (v. 17). God’s will and Spirit would never lead down the path of substance abuse. The feeling of pleasure and euphoria from the Holy Spirit within us is a complement Christ, through his salvation, has given to all who believe. Rather than being deceived by the pleasure of strong drink that destroys, be filled with the Holy Spirit that guides in righteousness, convicts of sin, builds up the church and blesses the individual.

Discussion question

Is a spiritual compenent necessary to overcome addiction?

Are other addictions as damaging as drugs and alcohol?

Those who are addicted in large measure “chose their poison.” Why not just write them off?

Posted: 1/21/05

Survey: Half of Americans
willing to curtail rights of Muslims

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Nearly half of all Americans would curtail the civil rights of Muslim-Americans in some way, a new survey reveals.

In the name of combating potential terrorism, 44 percent of respondents to a Cornell University survey said they agreed with one or more potential curtailments of Muslims' civil liberties. Conversely, 48 percent of respondents did not agree with any of those curtailments.

The survey also found:

29 percent of respondents believe "Muslim civic and volunteer organizations should be infiltrated by undercover law enforcement agents to keep watch on their activities and fundraising."

27 percent believe "all Muslim-Americans should be required to register their whereabouts with the federal government."

26 percent believe mosques should be "closely monitored" by federal law-enforcement agencies.

22 percent believe the government "should profile citizens as potential threats based on being Muslim or having Middle Eastern heritage."

The survey also found that highly religious people were more likely than people of little or no faith commitment to support restrictions on Muslims' civil rights, as were Republicans versus Democrats and independents.

In addition, the results suggested the more television news a respondent watches, the more likely he or she is to favor such restrictions.

"Our results highlight the need for continued dialogue about issues of civil liberties in time of war," said James Shanahan, a communications professor at Cornell and one of the authors of the study, in a statement.

"Most Americans understand that balancing political freedoms with security can sometimes be difficult," Shanahan continued. "Nevertheless, while a majority of Americans support civil liberties even in these difficult times, and while more discussion about civil liberties is always warranted, our findings highlight that personal religiosity as well as exposure to news media are two important correlates of support for restrictions. We need to explore why these two very important channels of discourse may nurture fear rather than understanding."

The telephone survey involved 715 respondents from a nationwide sample. Its margin of error is plus or minus 3.6 percentage points.

Posted: 1/07/05

Around the State

The Pastoral Care and Counseling office of Baylor Health Care System and the Baptist General Convention of Texas is offering a 14-week course for laypeople preparing them to provide effective, compassionate spiritual care for others. The “Hands on Ministry” course will begin Jan. 20 and continue through April 28. Each session will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in the East Room on the basement level of Baylor's Truett Hospital in Dallas. For more information, call (214) 820-4893 or (888) 311-3900. The training fee is $25.

Thirty-four Hardin-Simmons University December graduates were announced as honor graduates. Achieving summa cum laude status were Shaunda Kaye Eady, Danielle Clemens, Justin Tollison, Valeta Tollison, Erin Feldman, Daniel Graves, Deborah McFarland, Amanda Pullen and Lauren Ross. Magna cum laude graduates were Michelle Bailey, Crissandra Cotham, Michelle Covington, Faith Feaster, Rachael Heard, Tava Peralta, Danielle Schell, Susan Summers and Tino Velasquez. Cum laude honors went to D'Anna Brannon, Landon Day, Christina Hannin, Martin Lovvorn, Sarah Biggs, Jessica Conner, Amber Dawes, Nicolette Deveneau, Hilary Gibson, Jocelyn Lewis, Monica Lowe, Stephanie Lowe, Kimberley Mather, Brian McBride, Nathan Muramoto, and William Roberson.

Katrina Esco of Houston, a junior at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, placed first in informative speaking at the Louisana State University-Shreveport Red River Swing Tournament. Twenty-nine schools from throughout the nation competed in the tournament.

Houston Baptist University celebrated its 41st anniversary during a Founder's Day Convocation Dec. 2. Faculty and staff recognized for years of service included Don Looser, 40 years, and Don Byrnes, 35. Celebrating 20 years were Saleim Kahleh and Jon Suter. Debra Berry, Debora Burnett and Rhonda Furr celebrated 15 years with the university. Honored for 10 years of service were Patti Bailey, Eloise Hughes, Steven Key, Melanie Leslie, Anthony Martin, Hugh McClung, Richard Parker, Harold Raley, Dean Riley and Roger Wilhite.

Winners of the Era Miller Writing Contest held at East Texas Baptist University include Daniel Amy, first for prose; Aaron Kelly, second for prose, first for poetry; Benjamin Bryan, third for prose; Michael Shewmaker, second for poetry; and Daniel Spence, third in poetry.

Cassie Hoyer, a junior at Howard Payne University, recently served in Washington, D.C., as an intern for the Alliance for Marriage, a nonprofit organization supporting a proposed constitutional amendment regarding the definition of marriage.

John Brooks, founder and president of FOCUS Inter-national, which sends students to different countries for missions work, will be the guest speaker at Houston Baptist University Jan. 18 and 20. He will speak in Mabee Theater Jan. 18 at 6:30 p.m. and in Glasscock Center at 10:10 a.m Jan. 20. For more information, call (281) 649-3117.

Appointments

Twelve missionaries with Texas ties have been appointed by the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. Ben and Christi McGraw will continue to serve in Greenville, where he is a Nehemiah Project church starter. They have three children: Evyn, 7; Luke, 5; and Daniel, 1. Shelley Weaver of Fort Worth serves in New York City as US/C-2 missionary with NAMB's Strategic Focus Cities initiative called New Hope-New York. Weaver works with Metropolitan Association in recruiting and mobilizing Southern Baptist volunteers to help reach the 21 million people in the metro area for Christ through church starts and other ministries. Before beginning her assignment, she was involved with the youth ministry at Travis Avenue Church in Fort Worth. Jack and Janet Allen serve in New Orleans, where he is Nehemiah Project director at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He is a Texas native. They have two children: Boone, 19; and Amanda, 15. Tim and Elise Bissell serve in Syracuse, N.Y., where he is a church starter. The Texas natives formerly served with the International Mission Board in Russia. They have three children: Caleb, 17; Benjamin, 15; and Bethany, 12. Pamela Cline is a church planter in Southbridge, Mass. A Garland native, she is minister of administration at Newsong Community Church. Paul and Teresa Gomez serve in New York City, where he is a church-planting strategist with the Baptist Convention of New York. An Abilene native, he served First churches in Farmers Branch, Dallas and Colleyville and Crossroads Church in Fort Worth. Phil and Judy Langley serve in Monte Vista, Colo., where he is director of missions and church-starting strategist for Continental Divide Association. He is a Texas native, and both are graduates of Wayland Baptist University.

Anniversary

First Church in Lexington, 150th, Jan. 23. Special recognitions and presentations will be part of the 10:30 a.m. worship service, which will be followed by a catered lunch. Exhibits depicting the church's history will be displayed. Michael Luce is pastor.

Events

First Church in Devers will hold its annual chili cookoff and gospel music showcase Jan. 22 at 5:30 p.m. Groups to perform include The Rileys, The Master's, Jarrod Manning and Destiny. For more information, call (936) 549-7653. Harry McDaniel is pastor.

“Celebrate Life with a Show of Hands” is the theme of First Baptist Church in Belton's Sanctity of Human Life Fair to be held Jan. 23 from noon to 3 p.m. The fair will host booths from area programs and organizations that provide family services including crisis pregnancy, maternity homes, adoption, abuse recovery, disabilities, assistive technologies and services, and free legal help for living wills. Craft activities and puppet shows will be available for children. Andy Davis is pastor.

Deaths

Charles Myers, 91, Dec. 2 in Abilene. He was a longtime chaplain at Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene and pastor the last 44 years at Wingate Church in Abilene. He was a graduate of Howard Payne University and Southwestern Seminary and one of the first certified hospital chaplains in Texas. He established the chaplaincy program at Hendrick in 1957. At his retirement, he was named chaplain emeritus. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy; son, Ed; and sister, Virginia Argenbright.

Frances Drake, 85, Dec. 27 in Lubbock. Her husband, Weldon, was pastor of churches in Whitewright, McKinney, Fort Worth, Corsicana and Hurlwood. She was preceded in death by her husband in 1993. She is survived by daughters, Karen Holt, Susie Barnett, Nancy Stargel; and sons, Jim and Jon.

Glenn McCollum, 75, Dec. 27 in Mexia. A resident of Teague, he had formerly lived in Gregory, Aransas Pass, Bishop, Bremond, Mission, Daisetta, Kyle, Lockhart and Freeport–serving as pastor in many of the communities. He surrendered to ministry at age 18. At the time of his death, he had been minister of visitation and encouragement at First Church in Teague 10 years. He also served numerous area churches as interim pastor. He considered world missions his life purpose and had gone to Jamaica, Australia, Japan and Africa to spread the gospel. He was an avid woodworker and collected barbed wire. He is survived by his wife, Nellie; daughter, Tammie Hall; son, Michael; daughters, Eva Price, Dawna Hyden and Tricia DuBois; sister, Wilma Cast; 12 grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

Howard Bramlette, 81, Dec. 30 in Tyler. He had been living in an Alzheimer's center since 2001, and he died after being hospitalized for several days with complications from diabetes. He was a graduate of Baylor University, Southwestern Seminary, Indiana University and did further graduate work at Vanderbilt University's Graduate School of Management. During World War II, he served in the South Pacific, the Philippines, where he was decorated for meritorious service and in Japan. He was ordained by Central Church in Jacksonville in 1951. His entire career was devoted to work with college students, beginning as Bible teacher and Baptist Student Secretary at Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos. He left there to serve in the student department of the Baptist General Convention of Texas. In 1956, Bramlette was employed by the Baptist Sunday School Board's student department as a consultant with Baptist colleges. In 1966, he became director of placement and promotion for the Education Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. In 1976, he returned to the Sunday School Board (now LifeWay) as editor of the award-winning collegiate magazine, The Student. After retirement, he performed special assignments for several SBC agencies, and was a founding member of the Development Council for the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond, Va. Throughout his career, Bramlette was a popular speaker on college and university campuses and at student convocations nationwide. He was preceded in death by his sister, Mary Ann Lasseter.

Roberta Tullock, 81, Dec. 30 in Vernon. She was a member of First Church in Vernon. She and her husband served churches from Missouri to Texas. She was preceded in dath by her sisters, Mildred Krems and Patricia Sisk. She is survived by her husband, Sam; daughter, Kim Jones; son, Samuel; twin sister, Rhodella; and six grandchildren.

Ollie Lena Olsen, Jan. 3 in Abilene. She was executive director of the Taylor County chapter of the American Red Cross 20 years until her retirement in 1977. She was a 1935 graduate of Hardin-Simmons University. She was an instructor in English at HSU in 1937-38 prior to teaching in Cincinnati, New York City, Abilene High School and in India. She was a member of First Church in Abilene since 1927. She was preceded in death by her sisters, Claudine Olsen and Regina Lewis; and brother, Julius. She is survived by her brother, Julian Olsen.

Posted: 1/10/05
LifeWay Family Bible Series for Jan. 16

All life is to be valued as a creation of God

Exodus 1:8-21; Jeremiah 19:1-15; 33:1-26; Romans 8:1

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Being a Christian is about valuing human life, in the womb to the tomb. Jesus gave his highest goal, contrasted with thieves: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10). The sanctity and protection of life are ultimate and precious Christian values.

In real life situations in an immoral and sinful world, individuals often are forced to contend with circumstances of a greater or lesser evil.

The protection of life raises some complex questions for biblical ethics. Does God, presiding over this world with wisdom and grace, place a value on life humans do not comprehend or understand? Is the life of a Billy Graham worth more to God than the life of Osama bin Laden or Saddam Hussein (for example, could God be punishing America through these pagan leaders, see Jeremiah 27:1-7)? Is George Bush morally right to unleash the world’s greatest army upon a tyrant and his cohorts responsible for millions of deaths, and to offer American sons and daughters in order to save the lives of many in Iraq? Is a cause, even a holy cause, reason enough to destroy life (like the Crusades)? Does war by a so-called Christian nation diminish the true meaning of the biblical gospel of love?

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Can taking a life be considered just because of extenuating circumstances and if so, what circumstances? Who decides if freedom and democracy for the world is worth the cost of American or Iraqi lives? What about capital punishment, abortion and euthanasia? How should one value one’s own life in relationship to the value of another? Should one defy courts and laws in order to protect life?

The serious challenge of moral dilemmas can be mentally and emotionally exhausting but can find resolution in abiding Christian principles.

Devaluing life usually means replacing it with something else of more personal value. What is a justifiable reason for devaluing life: a just cause (war), a sexual accident (premarital sex), the emotional pain of life (suicide) or the physical pain of the body (euthanasia), greed for possessions (murder), convenience (the aged), schedule (road rage), anger (assault), fear (prisoners of war), racial prejudice (holocaust), politics (genocide), poverty (injustice), ignorance (homeless), deformity (mongoloid), over population (Israel in Egypt, see Exodus 1:8-21), religion (persecution), children (abortion)? The character of a Christian is demonstrated by the moral value we place on others. Life is valuable as a unique gift of God. Each human being is one for whom Christ died, made in his image and precious in his sight.

The crucifixion is about the value of life. Even God, the Father, qualified the value of life by his willingness to watch his one and only Son voluntarily lay down his life for the good of many. Christ laid down his life for the world and characterized the value placed on love and sacrifice, saying to his disciples: “Greater love has no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12).
Note the contrast of taking another’s life and voluntarily giving up one’s life. Some give of their life in order to take life, as in the case of the terrorist martyr who sees martyrdom as a beautiful thing while Christ glorifies the giving up of life in order to protect and save life. Is this a reasonable principle to justify war or abort a child to save the life of a mother? The Scripture in this study provides some valuable insight.

Be warned about God’s judgment (Jeremiah 19:3-6)

Jeremiah 19:1-15 (see the same account in Jeremiah 7) involves a prophesy of God’s impending judgment because of Israel’s idol worship, employing child sacrifice in the Valley of Hinnom (from which our word “Hell” is derived), just south of the Jerusalem city wall. “Topheth,” meaning a hearth or fireplace, was and open-air altar located near the junction of the Hinnom Valley with the Kidron where children were shamefully sacrificed to the cult god Baal. Jeremiah, as the spokesman for God, accused the kings of Judah of having “forsaken me and made this place a place of foreign gods, … burned sacrifices in it unto other gods, … filled this place with the blood of innocent” (v. 4).

In chapter 18, Jeremiah had learned a great spiritual lesson at the potter’s house and, most likely, could look out the gate beyond the fragments of broken pottery (potsherds) into the Hinnom Valley toward the abominable place of sacrifice (Topheth). God judged this place as the “Valley of Slaughter” (v. 6) and forecast his judgment by smashing Jerusalem like “this potter’s jar is smashed and cannot be repaired” (v. 11; also see vv. 7-9).

The prophetic warnings of Jeremiah had failed to turn the heads of the people of Israel from their pagan worship rituals and their pagan practice of child sacrifice. God would then “bring a disaster on this place” (v. 3).

Though the biblical context is very different, the circumstances are similar to today’s culture when life is devalued, the elderly and children are abused, terrorists kill innocents with reckless abandon, gangs conduct drive-by shootings and millions of innocent unborn children are offered on the altar of sexual license and selfish pleasure.

Regardless of the reasons, God weeps and is dishonored by how we dehumanize humanity. Christians often have contributed to the assault on human life through personal involvement in destructive behavior or lack of involvement in protecting life.

Receive and proclaim God’s forgiveness (Jeremiah 33:6-9, Romans 8:1)

God, in order to preserve the nation of Israel for his holy purpose, intended to place Judah in exile under Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, to punish their disobedience, unfaithfulness and ritualistic pagan disregard for life. Jeremiah 33 describes the prophecy and promise of God given to Jeremiah, that God will restore Israel back to “health … healing … abundant peace and security … bring Judah and Israel back from captivity … rebuild them as they were before … cleanse them from all the sin they have committed … forgive all their sins of rebellion against me” (33:6-9).

Sin brings judgment and death but “there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ” (Romans 8:1). God always is ready to forgive when repentance is genuine.

Work to protect human life (Exodus 1:15-20)

Exodus chapter 1 provides an illustration of working to protect human life guided by divine revelation and in defiance of national authority.

The Hebrew people in bondage in Egypt “multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them” (v. 7). The midwives of the expectant Hebrew mothers were asked by the Pharaoh to kill the boy babies and let the girl babies live (vv. 15-16) to slow down their population growth. The midwives, Hebrew women, refused because they “feared God” (v. 17). When confronted with their disobedience, they gave an untruthful answer that the women “are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive” (v. 19).

Without debating the ethics of their response, apparently their values allowed them to lie in order to save a life, resulting in God’s kindness to these midwives (v. 20). Morality issues were dominant over the circumstances of political judgment and presidential decree. Life was more precious than national concerns or a population explosion. The context and decisions of the midwives suggest their understanding of the value of life flows from their knowledge of God’s character, their fear of God, compassion for human beings and sense of life’s sacredness. The midwives aggressively worked to preserve and protect life, defied those in authority, were willing to suffer the consequences of their decision and ignored the moral code of truth telling in order to stand up for the right to life for the innocent babies.

No longer just an issue of sexual liberation or a woman’s right to choose, abortion is about life, life in the womb. There are some 1.5 to 2 million abortions each year in America, even though the fetus has a heart beat usually by the 25th day and a brain wave near the 40th day after conception. Abortion issues are caught in the angry political dialogue between pro-choice or pro-life and America’s devaluing of life.

Loving the lives of the innocent and less fortunate is a powerful experience. This kind of love is called compassion.

A young couple, having their first child, learned at 26 weeks of gestation the growth and development of the brain of their fetus child was severely impaired. The doctors were absolutely sure there was no hope of meaningful life and advised abortion. The couple refused to abort because of a respectful fear of God and their sense of the sacredness of life.

The baby was born with very little or no cognitive abilities but became the object of love for the couple and their family members. Her life was a struggle with every family member needed to attend to her 24/7. The precious life of this physically and mentally challenged child improved the quality of life for those around her. I had the privilege of cradling little Emily and acknowledge she impacted my life.

Eleven months into life, Emily died. The journey to the grave was devastating, but courageously they thanked God for her life. Their respect for life and love of God turned tragedy into triumph. The family’s faith, strength and testimony led to an adult man becoming a Christian because of the example of love set by this Christian couple. Because of this needy child, their lives will forever be changed for the better.

Discussion question

What questions about valuing life most trouble you?

Posted: 1/10/05
BaptistWay Bible Series for Jan. 16

Disciples of Christ should expect opposition

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

This week’s lesson is a continuation of Jesus’ instructions to his disciples prior to their departure for ministry among “the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (10:6). Specifically, the lesson before us covers verses 16-42 of Jesus’ “missionary discourse” recorded in Matthew 10.

At the conclusion of our study last week, we noted the Twelve were alerted to the fact that their proclamation might well be met with opposition (vv. 14-15). In the verses that follow, Jesus warns his disciples of the hardships they will encounter in conducting their mission. In fact, Jesus declares he is sending them out as “sheep in the midst of wolves” (v. 16; Acts 20:28-29). Although they are to seek lost sheep, they will be as vulnerable to danger as those they seek and should therefore be as wary as they are pure (v. 16).

Jesus instructs his disciples to beware of those people who will hand them over to local Jewish councils, who will in turn try them and scourge them in their synagogues (v. 17; 2 Corinthians 11:24). The Twelve also are forewarned that they will be taken to testify before gentile rulers because of their commitment to Jesus (v. 18). Nonetheless, they are told not to worry about what they might say, for the “Spirit of the Father” will speak through them (vv. 19-20; John 14:26).

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Contemporary misconceptions to the contrary, Jesus does not promise his disciples a bridge over troubled waters. Rather, he promises his followers they will face familial discord and societal disdain for the sake of his name (vv. 21-22). In the throes of affliction and in the face of opposition, however, they are to remain steadfast and are to flee persecution (vv. 22-23).

In due course and perhaps sooner than later, worldly tribulation will give way to divine salvation at the coming of the Son of Man (v. 23). Whereas beleaguered Christian believers in every generation have yearned for Christ’s return, those who are at ease in Zion tend to be far less vigilant about and far more complacent toward Jesus’ Second Advent.

Jesus continues to prepare his disciples for the hostility they will encounter in the course of their ministry through the use of analogy. Even though disciples are not above their teachers or slaves above their masters, they might well mirror and model their teachers and masters (vv. 24-25). Similarly, although the Twelve clearly are subordinate to Jesus, they can expect to be treated like him by unbelievers. If the Master himself is maligned and slandered to the extent he is even called “Beelzebul,” literally the “prince of demons” otherwise known as Satan, then his followers have every reason to suspect they will be subject to speech every bit as scurrilous (v. 25).

Despite the fact that Jesus has warned his disciples they will be beaten, interrogated, executed and maligned, he instructs them in verse 26 not to fear their oppressors. Although his followers are to be wary of their enemies and cautious toward those who would persecute them, they are not to cower at their power. On the contrary, they can live transparently and speak freely knowing nothing can or will escape the holy gaze of God (vv. 26-27). That is to say, Jesus’ disciples need not fear what mere mortals can do to them. At the most, those who oppose them can kill them. While sobering and serious enough, mortal death pales in comparison to eternal death, and only God can ascertain and seal a person’s eternal destiny (v. 28).

Furthermore, Jesus tells the Twelve not to fear their future plight, because they are never out of their Father’s sight. Jesus assures his disciples that even comparatively worthless sparrows do not go unnoticed by God. And if this be true of birds, it is all the more true of believers. Jesus assures his followers God is so intimately acquainted with and concerned about his own children, he even knows the number of hairs on their heads. Far from being dispensable, they are special to God and integral to his work in the world (vv. 29-31).

How can a person hope to be confident before the One “who can destroy soul and body in Gehenna”? Jesus instructs that one’s confidence before God is contingent upon acknowledgment of him as Master and Messiah before others. Those who confess him as the Christ before others will be claimed by him before the Father. On the other hand, those who deny him as the Christ before others will be denied by him before the Father (v. 32).

Realistically, one’s confession of and commitment to Christ may well lead to discordant relations, even among family members. When one family member regards God as Father and Christ as Brother and another does not, peace can give way to strife. The sword Jesus wields is not one of warfare, but it is a sword of decision that will invariably lead to division (vv. 34-36). Jesus teaches that a willingness to forfeit familial and material security for the sake of the gospel enables true life (vv. 37-39).

And if even those people who extend hospitality to Jesus and his messengers can anticipate an eternal reward (vv. 40-42), then one can only imagine the treasures being amassed by those who are willing to take up Jesus’ cross and follow him (vv. 19-20).

The following statement by Jim Elliott is spiritually astute and captures the thrust of today’s lesson: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Many of Jesus’ earliest followers believed this to be true. Do we?

Discussion questions

What hardships have you encountered as a disciple of Christ?

If someone has not encountered difficulty, should they question whether they have truly acted as disciples?

What sacrifice have you made to be a disciple?

Posted: 1/18/05

BaptistWay Bible Series for Jan. 23

Understand the parable to get most from seed

Matthew 13:1-23

By Todd Still

Truett Seminary, Waco

Thus far in our study of Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, we have considered the Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29) and the missionary discourse (10:1-11:1) respectively. In our overview of the five protracted sections of instruction given by Jesus in Matthew, we now turn to chapter 13. Here we find a collection of Jesus' parables on the kingdom of heaven.

Chapter 13 commences with a brief introduction (vv. 1-3), which is immediately followed by the parable of the sower and the seed (vv. 3-9). Before offering the disciples an allegorical interpretation of the parable (vv. 18-23; note also vv. 34-35), Jesus explains to them why he speaks to the crowds in this way (vv. 10-17). The parable of the weeds among the wheat (vv. 24-30), the only other parable in chapter 13 developed in any degree of detail, is interpreted in verses 36-43.

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On either side of verses 36-43 are five shorter parables for which no explicit or extensive explanation is given (the parable of the mustard seed, vv. 31-32; the parable of the leaven, v. 33; the parable of the hidden treasure, v. 44; the parable of the pearl of great price, v. 45; and the parable of the fishing net, vv. 47-50). The disciples' affirmation that they ascertain the meaning of Jesus' parabolic instruction serves as the conclusion, if not the climax, of the chapter (vv. 51-52).

It might be noticed in passing that no less than seven parables are recorded in Matthew 13. In biblical literature, the number seven can connote completion or perfection. One wonders if Matthew was mindful of such meaning when he composed this portion of his Gospel.

Before looking at 13:1-23 in greater detail, a word or two about parables in general is in order. The English “parable” derives from the Greek “parabolï,” which in turn translates the Hebrew “mÇshÇl.” Broadly conceived, a parable is an analogy or comparison. Literally, “parabolï” means “to throw or cast alongside,” to which we might add, “for illustrative purposes.”

With special reference to Jesus' parables, the working definition offered by Arland Hultgren in his recent, comprehensive study on the subject will suffice: “A parable is a figure of speech in which a comparison is made between God's kingdom, actions or expectations and something in this world, real or imagined.”

Regarding how Jesus' parables are best read, interpreters are divided. While some would regard the parables of Jesus as (limited) allegories, others have insisted they are meant to convey a single point or principle. A principal point may well be discernable in a number of Jesus' parables.

Be that as it may, I regard it as unduly restrictive to place the parables in too tight an interpretive jacket. This is not to suggest the parables can mean anything that we willy-nilly well please; there are, to be sure, grammatical, contextual and theological constraints. Nevertheless, those who are determined to reduce the provocative, multilayered parables of Jesus to one point appear to be missing (some of) the power of parabolic discourse.

Returning to Matthew 13, one discovers at the outset of the chapter the setting and the audience for Jesus' instruction in parables. Matthew informs that Jesus teaches the crowds standing on the shore while seated in a nearby boat on the Sea of Galilee (vv. 1-2).

The initial parable Matthew records is the sower and the seed (vv. 3-9; Mark 4:3-9; Luke 8:5-8). In this narrative parable, a certain sower, employing the broadcast method of sowing seed, slings seed every which way so that some of it falls on the path, some on rocky ground, some among thorns and some on fertile soil. While the seed that landed on the path was eaten by birds, the seed that fell on the rocky soil was rootless and withered away, and the seed that settled among thorns was choked out by them, the seed that happened upon good soil produced various degrees of grain.

Jesus offers an interpretation of the parable of the sower and the seed in 13:18-23. The seed sown is the word of the kingdom (v. 19). Accordingly, Jesus himself would be the (primary) sower. For a variety of reasons (the activity of Satan, trouble or persecution, and cares of the world and the lure of wealth) the seed that falls on the path, on rocky ground and among thorns does not take root and bears no fruit (vv. 19-22). The plight of such seed depicts the spiritual peril of those people who do not persevere in the gospel.

On the contrary, the seed sown on fertile soil–the person who readily receives and increasingly perceives Jesus' proclamation of the kingdom–yields crops for the kingdom (v. 23).

In presenting and interpreting this parable, Jesus repeatedly enjoins his audience to listen (vv. 3, 9, 18). As verses 10-17 indicate, however, apprehension of Jesus' parabolic instruction is not a given. On the contrary, insight into the kingdom is a divine gift (v. 11).

Far from being accessible to all people, the parables remain unintelligible to those who do not respond positively to Jesus' words. They cannot hear him because they will not listen (Isaiah 6:9-10). If they would open their ears and hearts and eyes, they would realize the importance of the one speaking in their midst and the significance of what he is saying.

Although Jesus' parables may promote and perpetuate confoundedness on the part of the crowds, those who are willing to become Jesus' disciples not only will understand more fully the meaning of his teaching, they also will discover more fully the delight and the duty that constitutes and characterizes the kingdom of heaven. A blessing falls upon those who hear the words and follow the way of the parabler from Nazareth; spiritual dullness, darkness and deafness come to those who will not (vv. 14-16, 54-58). “Let the one who has ears (to hear) listen!” (v. 9)

Discussion questions

What is the hardest part of this lesson for you to understand?

If you do understand, how does it change your strategy for reaching the world with the gospel?

Posted: 1/18/05

LifeWay Family Bible Series for Jan. 23

It is important to reach beyond racial barriers

Luke 10:25-37

By Leroy Fenton

Baptist Standard, Dallas

Racial, ethnic prejudice is alive and well in our society. Poised to begin this lesson, the daily news, dateline Jan. 8, 2005, reported that a Baptist preacher in Mississippi, apparently a former Ku Klux Klan leader, is being charged in the 1964 deaths of three civil rights workers in Neshoba County, Miss., a case never resolved. A movie, “Mississippi Burning,” was made about this brutal crime.

In the same paper, there was a report of an FBI investigation of “hate-filled threatening” letters that had been mailed to 80 high-profile couples who have interracial marriages. Also, there was an article about a former black city councilman who was accused of racism for comparing a high profile female city mayor with Hitler.

A recent movie of African-American, Jewish-American and Anglo-American families trying to deal with their respective prejudices in their community, highlighted by the teenage friendship of a Jewish boy and a black girl, revealed a sign at a white swimming pool that read, “No Jews, dogs or colored allowed.”

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Regularly, there are stories of charges of racial profiling. During my formative years in Mississippi, I saw first hand the racial rage of whites against blacks and the inequities of a racially prejudiced society. I grew up hearing the platitude, “I love colored people just as long as they stay in their place.” As the social structure of the United States changes due to the increasing numbers of ethnic peoples, our culture will continue to face the spiritual challenge of emotionally charged prejudicial racial attitudes. The real issue for today is the continuing patterns of discrimination various groups and races impose on the others.

Prejudice is an irrational, unwarranted and sometimes hostile opinion or attitude of arrogance toward an individual, group or race. Christians, at times, openly and honestly, will express and admit attitudes of prejudice. Others struggle with guilt over unrevealed feelings toward people of different ethnic and racial heritage. Sometimes a believer's expectation of himself will exceed honest prejudicial reality.

Scripture instructs and demands that believers move beyond racial and ethnic barriers in relationships and ministry. Let us return again to the familiar and powerful parable of the Good Samaritan to understand again the teachings of Jesus who leads us beyond racial barriers.

Love people unconditionally (Luke 10:25-28)

Having a moral society is difficult without individuals who are willing to act on behalf of its victims. Secular psychologists, philosophers and sociologists have been intrigued with the question of why anyone would want to be a Good Samaritan, to take the dangerous risk, be inconvenienced in time and schedule, and then be responsible for expensive care. Good Samaritans tend to be risk takers, have some familiarity or experience with violence, express anger at the criminal and have a strong sense of law and order. They also tend to have feelings of sympathy and compassion for the victim.

There is much to learn from this passage, for it is the key to living the Christian life. Love is the crowning virtue of the Christian life (1 Corinthians 13:13) and our acts of kindness count only when faith expresses itself through love (Galatians 5:6). In this exemplary account, love is clearly the ultimate and indispensable motivation that encourages a Christian to act unconditionally on behalf of a victim in need, regardless of race, color or creed.

A religious scholar, a legal expert on Old Testament law, asked, “What must I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 10:25). Defending his faith from corruption, he intended to show Jesus was mistaken in his understanding of God and religion. Jesus turned the question back to him, “What is written in the Law?” and “How do you read it?” (v. 26). Knowing the laws of God well, this lawyer answered on an abstract intellectual level, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself'” (v. 27).

Jesus challenged him on the practical and concrete level with his answer, “Do this and you will live” (v. 28). Jesus knew no one is capable of obeying the law of love so perfectly and obediently enought to personally achieve life everlasting. Salvation does not result from anything you “do.” The man's response indicated he was intellectually aware of this dilemma.

There was a black man named Jess who was a member of my last church. He was a delightful and faithful member and friend. Before he died, near the age of 100, he told me his black friends had chided and mocked him saying, “Why do you go down to that white man's church?” He chuckled when he told me he answered, “I go down there because they love me.”

Overcome self-centeredness (Luke 10:29-32)

Jesus tells a parable, a special story with common imagery easily understood by the most simple, to drive home his lesson on love and answer the question of the lawyer, “Who is my neighbor” (v. 29). This parable started out being about a man who had been robbed, beaten and left for dead, but it dramatically turned to indict the self-centered legal expert who asked the question, including all people who have prejudicial, selfish and unloving attitudes.

Three different people from three different walks of life–a brilliant lawyer, a saintly priest and an administrative Levite–all of them very religious, acted out their selfishness. The legal expert, continuing to intellectualize the debate, wanted to “justify himself,” by asking another question, “Who is my neighbor?” The priest and the Levite would not be bothered or inconvenienced from their godly work and more important tasks. Let someone else do this dangerous, bloody, thankless job. Their self-centeredness would leave the man, one of their own race and nationality, to bleed to death along the roadside, his fate unaltered by their power and presence.

All three of them are to be contrasted with the Samaritan who “took pity on him” (v. 33). Jesus suddenly had turned the rhetoric from question to questioner, from excuses to action, from neglect to responsibility and from prejudice to love. Each person had a certain amount of power to make a difference in this situation but failed by passing “by on the other side” (vv. 31-32). Jesus insists that being a good neighbor means to have a love that acts on behalf of anyone, even the most hated, undeserving and despised in our culture.

There are many would-be Good Samaritans today. Most people would not leave a wounded man on the roadside to die from his ill-gotten abuse, but our innocence cannot be dissolved so easily. The parable has a much wider application. Our selfishness, more often than not, avoids involvement with the lower socio-economic groups, is stingy in offering financial help to the beaten down, relegates most indigent to the government agencies or benevolent care institutions, avoids contact with ethnic minorities and acts out of fear rather than love.

Most church members, out of fear, avoid the needs of others, drive around the slums and rarely come into contact with the ethnic down and out. Passing by on the other side is as common as seeing the sun come up and a common response of the comfortable Christian. The easiest thing to do is to give, and the hardest thing to do is to get involved. The tsunami disaster brought billions of dollars of aid because of the horror, but millions of children die every year from starvation and genocide with hardly an act of Christian compassion.

Reach beyond barriers (Luke 10:33-37)

Jesus startled the legal expert by dramatically making the hero of the parable a hated Samaritan. Samaritans were the half-breeds in the social strata of Israel, the mulattoes, a racial mixture of Jew and Gentile. There was hostility between the Jews and Samaritans (John 4:9, “Jews do not associate with Samaritans”).

The Pharisee in his prayer would say, “I thank God that I am not a woman, Gentile or Samaritan” and would pray that the Samaritans not be included in the resurrection. A Samaritan could not become a Jewish proselyte.

Being unacceptable, the Samaritans established their own temple, their own priesthood and their own religious festivals. The listening lawyer could not bring himself to love a Samaritan and certainly not live in his neighborhood.

The Samaritan, whom the lawyer would never accept as his neighbor, becomes the perfect moral example of love, compassion and neighborliness. No barrier of attitude, history or feud, racial, ethnic nor religious, would keep this Samaritan from giving aid to a human brother in need.

The Samaritan dared. He gave aid regardless of the danger to himself. He cared. He had pity, sympathy and compassion, his primary motivation for cleansing the wounds, binding them to stop the bleeding, and placing him on his donkey to transport him to a place of safety and healing (v. 34). Then, he shared. He took out “two silver coins” to pay for his care and promised to pay more if needed. The Samaritan made a difference using his resources to take care of the unknown Jewish man, near death.

The parable ends with a powerful message of love in action. Jesus asked, “which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” The lawyer replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”

To the lawyer and to all who read and hear the parable, Jesus said, “Go and do likewise.” First, break down your own ethnic barriers. Then, Christ can use you to break down church and community prejudicial barriers. More than likely, it will cost you in time, resources and suffering. It is worth your love.

Discussion questions

Does racial or ethnic prejudice play a part in your life?

What are you doing to try to stem the tide of prejudice in others?

Is this a topic that is appropriate for discussion in Sunday school?

Posted: 1/18/05
LifeWay Explore the Bible Series for Jan. 23

All believers should also be disciples

Luke 19:11-27

By Pakon Chan

Chinese Baptist Church, Arlington

Jesus came to the last stage of his earthly ministry and was ready to enter into Jerusalem to face his destiny. He now used a parable to teach his disciples to be a faithful servants in preparation for entrusting them with his ministry.

This was a unique parable, and the hearers might easily associate it with a historical event. After Herod the Great died, Archelaus had received Judea as his inheritance. He went to Rome to persuade Augustus to ratify his share of the kingdom, but the people of Judea did not want him to be their king.

In this parable, Jesus was the nobleman, and the servants were his disciples. The subjects of the nobleman were the Jewish people. This story of the king and his servants tells us several important things about Christian life.

Disciple as a faithful servant (Luke 19:12-14)

When this nobleman was about to take a distant trip to claim his kingdom, he entrusted his servants with some money to do business while they waited for his return.

These few verses tell us at least four things. Jesus would leave his disciples soon. Jesus realized these days were his last days to be with them, and very soon he would face his death, resurrection and ascension. Thereafter, he would not be physically in their midst, but he told them some day he would return. He would claim his kingdom and come back as their king in the future.

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Until that time, Jesus has entrusted all his disciples with gifts to be used for his glory. He expects them to work faithfully and make good use of the gifts they have been given. When he comes back, he will bring with him his kingdom and judgment to his disciples and his subjects as well.

I have heard Christians say they were just ordinary Christians and not disciples. They thought disciples were some sort of very spiritual people who devoted themselves in ministry and service. Jesus asks his disciples only to serve and to be involved in ministry. Some people also think they do not have any gift, so they have no part in ministry–God should not have any expectation of them. They are satisfied to be just a Sunday Christian.

Jesus tells us we all are his disciples, and disciples are expected to be faithful in their service (Luke 14:25-35). God has given every Christian a gift to serve and participate in the work of his kingdom (1 Peter 4:10). We are expected to be faithful and will be held accountable for our responsibility in ministry and service.

Faithfulness is rewarded (Luke 19:15-19)

Jesus rarely talked about material rewards for his faithful servants. This time, Jesus told his disciples if they were faithful and met the expectation of God, they would be rewarded according to the result of their work. Even though we should not have any greedy motivation in serving God and people, God wants to bless his faithful servants with spiritual and sometimes material goodness. God created us and knows we sometimes need tangible encouragement, and he is willing to do that for us. No matter what kind of blessing God gives us as reward, it will in turn provide more opportunities for us to serve God and people.

Unfaithfulness is displeasing (Luke 19:20-26)

Jesus continued the parable by telling of one servant's unfaithfulness and how it displeased the nobleman. This unfaithful servant had an excuse for not investing the money given by his master.

He may have made the excuse for two reasons. He knew his master had high expectations for his servants (v. 21), and these expectations scared and paralyzed him. He was afraid to take any risk that might lose the money, so he “kept it laid away in a piece of cloth” (v. 20).

He also might just be lazy and did not want to do anything with the money. In this case, he would not only be lazy, but also irresponsible. He blamed his master for his unfaithfulness. Jesus said he was held responsible for his unfaithfulness no matter what, for if he understood the character of his master, he should try his best to do something with the money so he might satisfy his master's expectations. The money already was entrusted to him, and the master's expectation was made clear to him, so those reasons would not allow him to escape blame.

Christians sometimes have the same excuses for not using their gifts to serve the Lord. They are afraid of failure and rejection, so they hide their Christian identity and do not want to share the gospel message with their friends. Or they are just lazy and do not want to serve the Lord. Many Christians are just Sunday Christians. They want only to be served and not to serve. Jesus has warned us that we, all Christians, are held responsible to serve God, and he will look for the fruits in our service.

When Jesus comes back, he will bring reward and punishment to his servants. Those who are faithful will be rewarded, and those who are unfaithful will be punished. Since the unfaithful servant did not want to use his gift, the Lord took away his gift and gave it to the faithful servant (vv. 24-26).

Discussion questions

What is the gift Jesus has given you?

Are you using your gift to serve the Lord?

If you do not know how to identify your gift or how to serve God, what will you do to find your gift and a place to serve the Lord?

Posted: 1/18/05

CYBER COLUMN:
Resting in God

By Jeanie Miley

When I was a child, I thought that when I got to be one of the Big People, I would have the answers to my questions and I would know how to act in any given situation. I think I must have believed, as well, that when I got to be an adult, I wouldn’t be afraid any longer.

I’ve been one of the Big People for quite some time now, and I’ve noticed that the only people who appear to have all the answers are those who really don’t. And the only people who don’t ever experience anxiety and fear are either so shut down that they don’t notice the shifts and changes in their emotions or are not able or willing to tell the truth! Or maybe they just don’t get it about how dangerous life really is!

When I was a child, I also bought the lie that if I followed the rules and did what was “right,” God would protect me from bad things happening to me. Looking back, I can’t recall who it was that “taught” that lie, but I’ve noticed that I’m not the only one who bought it. Now I know that bad things happen to good people and good things happen to bad people, however one defines “good” and “bad,” and the only significant issue is how we respond to whatever happens to us.

To live and to engage with life is to experience the anxiety that goes along with the realities of life. Life is dangerous. Life is uncertain, and stuff happens to the people who are faithful and true, just like it happens to “the others.”

I’ve noticed that those who cope with life the best have a rigorous self-honesty and an unflinching realism in the face of whatever life hands them, and I’ve noticed that people who are victorious, even against unbearable odds have lots of emotional support and the spiritual practices that sustain and nurture them through the dark nights of their souls.

We who call ourselves Christian do best when we take seriously Jesus’ invitation to “come to him” for rest. We who dare to say that we are followers of Christ must, in fact, follow him, daily taking on his perfectly-fitting yoke so that we will not stick our necks in the yokes of servitude and addiction, misplaced loyalties and the yokes of other people that chafe our necks and sometimes break them.

This rest that is offered and provided by the living Christ is not escape or sleep, but a radical empowerment by the Creator himself. It is the rest of the branch, connected intimately with the nutrient-supplying vine. It is the waiting on God that prepares us for service and for producing the fruit that is in us. Resting in God is attentive alertness and radical awareness of the movement of the Spirit in our lives. Resting in God is the spiritual practice that undergirds everything else.

As I move into this new year, I am deepening my commitment to “come to him” even more faithfully now than ever before. I am consciously and intentionally making sure that I seek the “rest” of his being in his presence with conscious intention to consent to his presence and action in my life. I am making sure that I do not neglect coming to him, day after day, so that he can give me the spiritual sustenance and support that I need to face the ambiguity, ambivalence and anxiety of life.

Resting in God is the secret of the abundant life—for children of all ages.

Jeanie Miley is an author and columnist and a retreat and workshop leader. She is married to Martus Miley, pastor of River Oaks Baptist Church in Houston, and they have three adult daughters. Got feedback? Write her at Writer2530@aol.com.

Posted: 1/14/05

Dr. Andrew Bentley of Grace Community Church, Tyler, along with pastor and translator Anthoney Anoprathepan, Believers Church in Batticaloa pray for a man he just examined and treated for minor injuries received by the Tsunami. This man and his family have been involved in violence against the pastor S. Vijyaraj (far right with hand to mouth) Several members of the man's family involved in violence which has included beating and burning of the home church were killed in the waves. At right, one of many hand made signs seen throughout the Batticaloa and Ampara regions on the east coast of Sri Lanka.

Baptist Child & Family Services team stunned by destruction

By Craig Bird

Baptist Child & Family Services

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (ABP) — Even the most graphic television images and emotional verbal descriptions couldn't prepare the American volunteer team for the devastation that is coastal Sri Lanka, one of the countries hardest hit by the Dec. 26 tsunamis.

The six men from the Baptist Child & Family Services of San Antonio were reduced to admitting, "It is impossible to even start telling you how bad it is."

Their initial impression, after arriving in the capital of Colombo Jan. 8, was multiplied by the knowledge they were headed to where the human and physical damage is much worse.

CERI/TBM team members pray together and with others and Gospel For Asia reps at a home of a believer where they have been hosted in Batticaloa.

What they didn't know was they also were headed into a politically volatile zone. News reports said a "rare" outbreak of violence between Christians and Hindus on the east coast left at least three people dead and 37 injured. The religious preferences of the Sri Lankan population are estimated to be 60-to-70 percent Buddhist and 15 percent Hindu. Both Christianity and Islam are believed to be followed by 7-to-8 percent of the population.

The country has suffered through decades of civil war, but the battles are almost always between Hindu insurgents and troops from the Buddhist-dominated government. This explosion could be the result of highly visible Christian aid groups arriving in the area.

The tsunami heavily battered Colombo, but its full brunt fell on the southeast coast of Sri Lanka. That is where the Baptist Child and Family Services and its international relief arm have been asked to set up six emergency shelters for orphans. The Texas Baptist agency also will begin the process of training Sri Lankans to run not only the shelters, but also a permanent foster-care system.

The six-member team worshiped in a Sri Lankan church Jan. 9 before beginning a spine-battering, 12-hour drive across the country on roads that would be impassable if not for the urgent need to reach the hardest-hit areas. There have been reports of infants dying of starvation on the east coast, even after arriving safely at shelters, because of the lack of food.

Dr. Andrew Bentley conducts a medical clinic at Heavenly Mission Harvest Church in a small fishing village near Eravur in the Batticaloa District on the east coast of Sri Lanka. He saw at least 150 persons including dozens of children. At least two and possibly as many as ten villagers died in the Tsunami. Christians in the village totaling 27 families were spared as they were worshipping in the church in the home of the pastor S. Vijyaraj when the wave struck. The pastor, the first believer in the village, won the 27 families in five years.

The death toll for the country is estimated at 80,000. The devastation has delayed and complicated relief efforts. The 60-mile stretch of coast where the shelters will be located has left an estimated 30,000 survivors victimized by the tsunami, many of them children. The six emergency-care centers will house an estimated 800 to 1,000 orphans each. Baptist Child and Family Services was invited to Sri Lanka by the government on the recommendation of Gospel for Asia, a Christian ministry that has numerous permanent staffers in the country. The two organizations have partnered together before.

The San Antonio-based BCFS provides residential services for emotionally disturbed children, assisted-living services and vocational training and employment for special-needs adults, mental-health services for children and families, foster care, and pre-natal and post-partum health services. Through its Children's Emergency Relief International, it provides humanitarian aid for children living in poverty in Moldova, Mexico and Russia.

At Carmel Fatima College Refugee Camp, Ampara District, Sri Lanka, (left) the blackboard displaya the statistics on the residents of the camp. Several camps are located in similar facilities that provide shelter and basic services. Many are more primitive with refugees sleeping in tents with limited services. The second TBM team arrived in Batticaloa late Wednesday night following an eight-plus hour bus ride from Colombo, where they plan to conduct well cleaning, water purification and possible feeding operations. At right, Dick Talley of Lakeside Baptist Church in Dallas with Texas Baptist Men and Kevin Dinnin with Baptist Child and Family Services meet with Ebenezer Samuel, India director for Gospel For Asia, and David Beckett of Curry Creek Baptist Church, Boerne, a missionary in Sri Lanka working with Gospel For Asia, to discuss ways to partner in relief efforts in Sri Lanka.

Posted: 1/14/05

Gonzales nomination raises
concerns with some religious groups

By Robert Marus

ABP Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON (ABP)—Although pledging not to tolerate torture of prisoners by American soldiers or law-enforcement agents, Attorney General nominee Alberto Gonzales also repeatedly has refused to renounce a controversial memo his office authored in 2002 supporting the legality of torture in some cases.

During his confirmation hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee, former Texas Supreme Court Justice Gonzales renounced the actions of soldiers such as those who perpetrated the scandal at Abu Ghraib prison outside Baghdad.

“Torture and abuse will not be tolerated by this administration,” he told the committee, which is hearing his nomination by President Bush to be the country’s top justice official. “I will ensure the Department of Justice aggressively pursues those responsible for such abhorrent actions.”

Gonzales currently is Bush’s chief lawyer and previously served in a similar position when Bush was governor of Texas.

However, Gonzales repeatedly sidestepped questions about his involvement in production of the Justice Department memo, which set forth a case for the legality of interrogation techniques that many international human-rights groups consider torture. He also refused to repudiate a portion of the memo that concluded the president has the right to authorize torture of terrorism suspects in unusual circumstances.

He endured tough questioning from the committee’s Democrats and some Republicans, including Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.).

“When you start looking at torture statutes and you look at ways around the spirit of the law . . . you’re losing the moral high ground,” Graham told Gonzales. “Once you start down this road, it is very hard to come back. So I do believe we have lost our way. And my challenge to you as a leader of this nation is to help us find our way, without giving up our obligation and right to fight our enemy.”

Graham, a lawyer and member of the Judge Advocate General corps of the Air Force Reserve, noted that many of the White House’s positions on torture of terrorism suspects went against the advice of prominent career military officers.

At least two groups of religious leaders challenged senators and Gonzales to repudiate the torture memos and Gonzales’ position on whether the standards of the Geneva Convention apply to war combatants seized in battles against terrorists.

In a Jan. 5 letter to Judiciary Committee members, a group of religious leaders said Gonzales’ nomination to the nation’s highest law-enforcement office presents weighty moral questions.

“We as people of faith have a profound commitment to affirming the worth and dignity of all people, all of whom are children of God. We therefore have grave concerns about Mr. Gonzales’ reported role in sanctioning torture,” the letter read. “We believe that no person, including the President of the United States, has the authority to authorize torture. We can think of nothing more antithetical to our basic moral values, or detrimental to our national role as a voice for human rights throughout the world.”

Among the Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Sikh leaders signing the letter were Baptists Welton Gaddy, pastor of Northminster Church in Monroe, La., and president of the Interfaith Alliance; and Stan Hastey, executive director of the Alliance of Baptists.

In addition, another group of religious leaders appealed to Gonzales’ professed evangelical Christianity in asking him to repudiate the views on torture and due process reflected in the memos.

In a Jan. 4 letter to Gonzales, a group including several Baptists and evangelical leaders, as well as mainline Protestants and Jews, said, “As a self-professed evangelical Christian, you surely know that all people are created in the image of God. You see it as a moral imperative to treat each human being with reverence and dignity. We invite you to affirm with us that we are all made in the image of God—every human being.

“We invite you to acknowledge that no legal category created by mere mortals can revoke that status,” it continued. “You understand that torture — the deliberate effort to undermine human dignity — is a grave sin and affront to God…. We urge you to declare that any attempt to undermine international standards on torture, renditions, or habeas corpus is not only wrong but sinful.”

Among the Baptist signers of the letter were author and sociologist Tony Campolo, former Southern Baptist Convention President Jimmy Allen and ethicist Glen Stassen.

Posted: 1/14/05

Student pastor started Armored
Outreach to give teens spiritual tools

By Leann Callaway

Special to the Baptist Standard

MIDLAND—As youth evangelist Brad Fogarty speaks to students around the country, he draws his messages from lessons he learned while teaching and coaching in public schools. That’s where he witnessed firsthand the need to share Christian truth with students.

“Personally, I am very concerned … because teenagers have been lied to for so long,” he said.

“Many teenagers think that sexual things are going to fulfill and that alcohol is going to solve their problems. In reality, all their addictions and sins have done nothing but make their lives worse. Teenagers are desperate to know the truth.”

Fogarty serves as student pastor at Stonegate Fellowship Church, a Texas Baptist congregation in Midland, and he is the executive director of Armored Outreach.

Since co-founding Armored Outreach in 1999, Fogarty has traveled extensively across the country, speaking at youth camps, retreats, Disciple Now weekends, True Love Waits and See You at the Pole rallies, and other events such as Super Summer and the “Rock the Desert” Christian music festival in West Texas.

“When I became an itinerant minister, I was really impacted by what I saw,” he said.

“I realized that most of the traveling speakers and worship leaders were pretty lonely. They were constantly on the road, which meant rarely attending their home church. I didn’t want that to happen to me. I wanted to be surrounded by a group of people to provide accountability, and whether we’re at home or traveling, I wanted a close-knit family of ministers who would support each other.

“That’s when God really began working in my life, and the vision for Armored Outreach was birthed. It was designed to be a haven for traveling ministers and a place for young ministers to be mentored, trained and assisted in their ministry.”

Recently, Armored Outreach created the “Truth Is” conference. The purpose of this two-day gathering is to provide teenagers with spiritual tools to keep their faith close while living in a secular world.

“We’ve been very intentional in having this conference outside of the Bible-belt and in the northeastern part of the U.S.,” he explained. “We basically say, ‘Let us tell you what the truth is.’ It’s been really neat, because people are responding with, ‘How come no one’s ever told us this before?’ Numerous people have accepted Christ as their Savior at this event.”

Through the conference, students also have realized their walk with Christ can be strengthened through meditation and memorization of Scripture, and they have made commitments to applying it to their daily life, he said.

“What a lot of Christians take for granted is that they’ve become really good at devotion, but they have forgotten about dwelling,” Fogarty said. “A lot of people have their quiet time so they can check it off, but they aren’t really spending time with Christ. That’s a real passion of ours to make sure that we’re really spending time with Christ and not just writing something in a journal and calling it a devotion. We’re taking that same charge to the people we speak to.”

Fogarty’s favorite aspect of ministry happens when students give their lives to Christ and realize what the truth is.

“If I was working for a sales company or building houses, I would be able to see the fruit of my labor almost immediately,” he said. “You cut a deal, shake a hand, and get a check. You hammer a nail, lay a brick, and you’ve got a house. One of the beautiful things about what we do is we may never see it come to flourish. We’re planting seeds that may flourish after our lifetime.

“I really can’t describe the magnitude of it, and I may never know the impact that Christ has had through my life. We get e-mails and letters so often that say, ‘My life was changed at that event’ … or, ‘Let me tell you what God did at this event.’ Just the thought of the eternal impact is so rewarding. I consider myself a door-to-door Jesus salesman.”